After the Warriors took Stephen Curry, the New York Knicks adjusted to take Arizona forward Jordan Hill, who gives the club much-needed rebounding help and insurance should restricted free agent David Lee leave. Hill is a skilled player who should help bolster New York's post game and has the ability to run the floor in Mike D'Antoni's offense.
The Knicks obviously were relishing the opportunity to take Curry (as were the fans in attendance, who greeted Hill with a round of boos), but Hill would be a solid starter or key reserve. Hill could become the best player in the lottery in a few years -- behind Blake Griffin.
The Warriors surprisingly took Stephen Curry at No. 7, leaving supposed heartthrob Jordan Hill on the board. (Hill went one pick later to New York.) Curry had refused to work out for Golden State during the workout season, and the hubbub followed that the Warriors would avoid a point guard to avoid angering Monta Ellis, who fancies himself a modern day Cousy.
In an uncertain NBA Draft, that so many prospects have avoided competitive workouts is a bit odd. No player but Blake Griffin is guaranteed a spot in the top three, so you think the usual "boy versus chair" auditions would be out. Nope. To date, Hasheem Thabeet has not worked out with another player, nor have James Harden or Tyreke Evans.
As the draft moves closer (one week away), Evans has changed his stance: he'll work out against Stephen Curry this Sunday in Sacramento. Evans had previously blamed scheduling conflicts for his evasion of big talker/defender Terrence Williams. The Kings had reportedly tried to set up the two when both were in town, but Evans' camp (led by brother Reggie -- no, not that one) nixed it. Either way, Curry and Greece-bound Nick Calathes will provide less physical foils for Tyreke. (And yes, this also serves to debunk the "Curry shuts it down" rumor ... although the sharpshooter still hasn't rescheduled with Minnesota.)
Wait ... will Madison Square Garden actually be filled with cheers on Draft Night? Newsday (via Canis Hoopus) reports Stephen Curry has canceled all but one workout after a splendid visit with the Knicks. New York picks No. 8 in the June 25 draft. The cancellations include ... Minnesota, who picks No. 6. Gulp!
Curry obviously has confidence he will not fall below the Knicks, and he obviously would rather Minnesota keep its grubby paws off him. The kid did keep his date with the Wizards (who pick No. 5), presumably because he thinks it'd be swell to be in playoff contention next year. Minnesota had planned to work out Curry with three point guard prospects who came together in Sacramento Friday afternoon: Jrue Holiday, Jonny Flynn and Brandon Jennings. Jennings used the workout as an opportunity to tell the world that Ricky Rubio is "all hype." (You must watch that video.)
* More from The Baseline, this time reported by the incomparable Chris Littmann: one team exec who interviewed Stephen Curry at the Chicago combine asked the guard who his father was.
* At the Chicago combine, players submit to interviews by team personnel. Lots of interviews. On Thursday, Chase Budinger was asked if he has any "friends with benefits" and Ty Lawson learned about an uncle he didn't know he had. The Sacramento Bee's Sam Amick has those stories and more.
* Amick also passes along the new sentiment that Oklahoma City wants USC prospect DeMar DeRozan at No. 3, leaving Ricky Rubio to the Kings at No. 4.
* According to DraftExpress' Jonathan Givony, James Hardencanceled interviews with teams outside the top five picks. He will reportedly not work out for the Wolves, who pick No. 6, because Harden's crew believes he will land in OKC at No. 3 or Washington at No. 5. In other news, someone in Harden's crew is a lunatic in thinking it's impossible for the kid to fall to Minnesota or further.
Now that the 2009 NBA Draft order is set, it's time for the second FanHouse Mock Draft of the season.
The Clippers have won the first pick, with Memphis and Oklahoma City rounding out the top three spots. Several teams, including Minnesota, Sacramento and Chicago, have multiple picks in the first round.
After the jump, find the full first round mocked out. Then, feel free to mock it. That's how this works.
All mock drafts are not created equal. And why would you want them to be? That'd be awful boring, just reading lists of names over and over. At FanHouse, we emphasize the commentary -- so in our mocks we'll (try to) explain why we think certain players fit in their theoretical slots. We will also project our own biases (positive and negative), of course.
At this early stage -- and let's be honest, at every stage -- this is 5% homework, 5% supreme divination, 90% guesswork. (A great endorsement, no?) After the jump, a full first-round mock draft for your amusement bemusement.
The press release put out by Davidson did not indicate whether Curry had signed with an agent. The release, though, noticeably did not mention that Curry was going to be gauging interest or that there was a possibility he would return. That absence makes it clear that this is not a "testing the waters" decision.
During the NIT Tournament, we NBA heads hardly ever pay attention. But when Stephen Curry and Patrick Mills hook up, we're watching. Inspired by our daily Doing Lines feature, Drooling Lines offers a summary of what the box scores tell us.
Before we get into the pro prospecting, it needs to be said that St. Mary's College has a killer fan base. That building's bandbox before you add the thousands of maniacal kids screaming full throttle for the benefit of the TV crowd? Well done, Gaels.
Of course, the fans had plenty to cheer for thanks to St. Mary's 80-68 second-round victory Monday. The duel between Davidson's Stephen Curry (26 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists) and St. Mary's own Patrick Mills (23 points, 10 assists) lived up to expectations.
After the Warriors took Stephen Curry, the New York Knicks adjusted to take Arizona forward Jordan Hill, who gives the club much-needed rebounding help and insurance should restricted free agent David Lee leave. Hill is a skilled player who should help bolster New York's post game and has the ability to run the floor in Mike D'Antoni's offense. 
The Warriors surprisingly took 
In an uncertain 
Wait ... will Madison Square Garden actually be filled with cheers on Draft Night? Newsday (via 
* DraftExpress' Jonathan Givony reports Dallas loves Jordan Hill and 
* At the Chicago combine, players submit to interviews by team personnel. Lots of interviews. On Thursday, Chase Budinger was asked if he has any "friends with benefits" and Ty Lawson learned about an uncle he didn't know he had. The Sacramento Bee's Sam Amick 
Now that the 
FanHouse covers the 
It took 
During the NIT Tournament, we NBA heads hardly ever pay attention. But when Stephen Curry and Patrick Mills hook up, we're watching. Inspired by our daily 
